Reviews

“…a fine collection… The book is affecting, to be read a little at a time. You won't forget it afterwards.”· Finnish American Cultural Activities.

“Over a number of years, Sue Saffle has earned the respect of the war children in Finland and Sweden… to such an extent that she has been able to tap into a great source of social and war history. In addition, for many who contributed to the research, [this book] has the added element of being a form of personal catharsis. This is an excellent book which will add a great deal to the academic study of war children past and present.”· Martin Parsons, University of Reading

Description

Between 1939 and 1945, some 80,000 Finnish children were sent to Sweden, Denmark, and elsewhere, ostensibly to protect them from danger while their nation’s soldiers fought superior Soviet and German forces. This was the largest of all of World War II children’s transports, and although acknowledged today as “a great social-historical mistake,” it has received surprisingly little attention. This is the first English-language account of Finland’s war children and their experiences, told through the survivors’ own words. Supported by an extensive introduction, a bibliography of secondary sources, and over two dozen photographs, this book testifies to the often-lifelong traumas endured by youthful survivors of war.

Sue Saffle holds a Senior Instructorship in Virginia Tech’s Department of English. She is a winner of VT’s University Sporn Award for outstanding teaching and was inducted into the institution’s Academy of Teaching Excellence. In 2000–2001 she lived in Helsinki, where she began collecting the stories of Finland’s war children. Her articles about them have appeared in the journal Children and War and in the collection Children: The Invisible Victims of War (2008).

Contents

The Work of Sorrow by Marja Hultin BarronUnanswered Questions for a Finnpojke by Martti Kalervo BroströmA Desire to Scream by “Emmi Eskola” Horseshoes and Licorice Drops by Juha Hankkila The Last Summer in Sweden by “Karina Heino” Farting in Swedish by Veijo Holopainen Sugar Beets and Spettecaka by Soile Kiema Ilvesoksa Dragons in a Handbag by Veikko Inkinen A Good and Bad Hand by Eric Jaakkola The Red Shoes by Anita Jakobsson Bread in a Suitcase by Rauni Janser The Lucky Stain by Rauno Juntunen Paper Dolls by Sirpa Kaukinen The Woman in the Broad-Brimmed Hat by Kirsti Kettunen Swedish Toys by Helena Nyqvist Koivisto Goodbye to the Bombs by Anne-Maj KorpelaSomeone’s Daughter by “Leena Korpi” To the Bomb and Back by Eeva Lindgren A Blonde Curly-haired Girl by Mirja Luoma Fishing with Ragnar by Pekka/Peter Louhimo Black Birds by Seppo Mälkki A Terror of the Dark by Marita Merilahti Funeral Games by “Eine Miller” The Woman in Black by Helena Nilsson Understanding Backwards by Veijo Pönniäinen Paine A Happier War Child Story by Virve Kaisu Kyllikki Palos No Easy Choices by Ossi Rahkonen God natt, sov Gott by Lea Rehula A Lifelong Exile by Kai Rosnell “Take the Bed Down!” by Gertrud Rullander Waiting for the Time to Pass by Irma Saarinen Children’s Prayers by Kaarina Siilasto “Send the Little Ones!” by Bodil Nordman Söderberg A Tale of Two Sisters by Marja Tähtinen Swedish Fish by Rolf J. E. Tarvala Horses in the Kitchen by Jorma Törmänen Rita, not Rauha by “Rita Trent” Repairing the Clock by Kaj Wanne Soldier Boy by Norman Westerberg